Flinterstar III, the owner of the Dutch freighter 'Flinterstar', has entered into a contract with a consortium of Belgian marine contractors to remove the wreck of the vessel.
The 'Flinterstar' sank in the North Sea off the coast of Zeebrugge following a collision with an LNG tanker, the 'Al Oraiq', in October 2015.
The consortium will be headed by Scaldis, a joint company of DEME, Jan De Nul and Herbosch-Kiere. Scaldis has said it could commence on site operations within the next few weeks.
At present, the wreck is upright on the seabed but separated into two sections. It is SCALDIS' intention to first remove the cargo. Simultaneously, the lifting points and/or lifting chains/slings will be installed underneath the wreck.
Each wreck section will be lifted by Scaldis' 3,300-tonne capacity 'Rambiz' heavy lift vessel and positioned onto a transport barge then transported for appropriate disposal. It is anticipated the wreck removal operation will be completed this summer.
In January 2016, the Authorities issued a wreck removal order, as the vessel was perceived to present a potential danger to shipping and the environment.
